For Christians, going beyond the labels

Sep 25, 2014

By Marcellino D’Ambrosioanoth
Liberal and conservative. The definitions of these terms are seldom spelled out. Usually, they are presumed. Typically people call “conservative” those who prefer old-fashioned ways and “liberal” those who favor the latest ideas and trends. Using those terms, modern- day Christians sometimes find and promote strife against one another.

There are some news channels and publications that cater to those we would call liberals and others exclusively to those called conservatives. This is the case in society in general and examples of this can be seen easily in TV shows, websites, social media, radio shows and podcasts.

But for the Christian, the ultimate question is not of personal preferences, politics, or whether something is old or avant-garde. It is rather whether a particular thing is compatible with the kingdom of God, which calls on us to love one another.

Since the proclamation of the kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus’ public ministry, we’d do well to examine it. To discern what fits with the kingdom, we first need to know what that kingdom is all about. First of all, the Lord's Prayer teaches us something important about the kingdom of God in its first petition: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

The kingdom of God is where God’s truth reigns and his commands are observed. To be a good “fit” with the kingdom, things must be in accord with God’s will as expressed in Scripture and tradition, but not by attacking each other.

We also know that God’s will is for our good. He loves us more than we love ourselves and wants more for us than we want for ourselves. Even here and now, in this “valley of tears,” he wants us not just to survive, but to thrive.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” He is speaking here of sharing with us his divine life which transforms every aspect of our human lives and will last forever.

A salient characteristic of this divine life is joy. In John 15:12, Jesus says, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” The kingdom of God then is where there is intense vitality, freedom and joy; there is togetherness because a loving Father is in control.

And that loving Father puts his spirit into our hearts and brings forth marvelous fruits when we let him have his way: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23). It doesn’t include attacking one another over political and other preferences.

In the early Church, there was a lot of debate about whether Christians could eat certain things, particularly meat sacrificed to pagan idols.

Paul’s response was clear: “The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). In their squabbles over how far to go in maintaining certain religious traditions, disciples on both sides of the issue were taking their eyes off the ball. If Paul were speaking today, he might instead insist that the kingdom does not consist of either Latin or the vernacular, novenas or prayer meetings, organ or guitar music.

The person who understands the kingdom of God, says the Lord Jesus, “is like the head of a household who can bring from his store both the new and the old.” (Mt 14:46).

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was a great example of this. He loved the traditional faith and piety of the Church (some would say the “old”), but proclaimed it by means of television (“new”). Another great example was St John Paul II.

He was devoted to the rosary (old) but enriched it with the luminous mysteries (new). He defended the sexual morality of the Church (old) but expressed that morality in a fresh and intriguing way through his “theology of the body” (new).

In our time, some attack Pope Francis, calling him a liberal because he advocates for the poor or calls out certain forms of capitalism. But he sometimes is attacked by those who are liberal for any number of statements.

There are a given number of things, views that just can’t fit into the kingdom and we have to look toward religious leaders, texts and documents to examine them. But fierce attachment to expressions, based on anything that causes strife and tension among people signals that there is something wrong.

We have to recognize that there is a difference between the pearl of great price and its packaging. The pearl always comes in a wrapper. But if we love a particular wrapper so much that, in clutching it, we let go of the pearl, it doesn’t matter if we are liberal or conservative. We’re being just plain foolish.

Together with Solomon, let us pray for the wisdom needed in every situation to correctly identify the kingdom of God, the peace and love it promotes, and hold fast to it.